(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a telephone substation apparatus and more particularly to a telephone handset support which can allow a telephone substation to be used as either a desk or wall unit.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
For many years the telephone industry has recognized the desirability of manufacturing a telephone substation apparatus or telephone instrument which may be used as a desk unit or a wall unit. One of the problems encountered in designing such a telephone instrument is how to support the handset on the base. It is desirable that the handset rest on the base in the same position no matter whether the base is horizontal or vertical. However, in most telephone instruments the weight of the handset is the force that is used to maintain it on the base, and of course as the base shifts in position from the horizontal to vertical the direction in which the force acts also changes. Therefore, the type of handset support that operates best in one position may not be needed or may actually interfere with the use of the handset in the other position. Further, since telephone subscribers are now allowed to purchase their own telephone instruments it becomes desirable from a retail standpoint to be able to offer a telephone instrument which can be either desk or wall mounted. This arrangement would be advantageous to the consumer allowing him to purchase a single telephone which can be used for example, in the kitchen where telephones are typically wall mounted, or the living room where the telephone is usually placed on a horizontal surface. Additionally, this is also an advantage to the manufacturer, dispensing with the necessity for the manufacturer to design and produce two distinctly different telephones for a particular type of mounting.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,073,911, to C. F. Mattke, et al., teaches a telephone set which is operable in either a vertical or horizontal position. A support hook is provided which can be adjusted out of the base to support the handset to the telephone base when wall mounted. The telephone in this case must be disassembled in order to make the adjustment. This typically requires trained telephone service personnel. In most cases a consumer with limited technical knowledge would not be able to perform such an adjustment.
Accordingly, it is an object to the present invention to provide a novel and improved handset support which can be easily manipulated by the telephone subscriber allowing the telephone instrument to be alternatively used as a desk or wall unit.